Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by Cambridge Trust Co.

Cambridge Trust Co. reduced its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 8.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 27 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Trust Co.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $132,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in NOC. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 59.4% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 7,390 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,305,000 after buying an additional 2,753 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 41.4% in the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 3,445 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the first quarter worth about $1,514,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 21.6% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,390 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $622,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 11.0% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,890 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NOC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com lowered Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. TheStreet cut Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $450.00 target price (down previously from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $494.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $573,321.01. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $573,321.01. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total transaction of $95,482.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $462.58 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $414.56 and a 52 week high of $496.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $459.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $464.26.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.47. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.23% and a return on equity of 23.07%. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.43 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $7.50 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were given a $1.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.49%.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense technology company in the United States, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The company's Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems. This segment also offers unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance strategic ISR systems and vertical take-off and landing tactical ISR systems; and strategic long-range strike aircraft, tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft, and airborne battle management and command and control systems.